The Arrival: A Valentine's Kiss
by Prairie24andMoochiecat2009
Summary: A horrific accident on the day before Valentine's Day nearly causes Grissom to lose what he holds most dear. One chapter will be added each day with the finale posted on Valentine's Day.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Moochie and Prairie do not own CSI. If we did, Warrick would still be alive and breathing.

The Arrival: A Valentine's Kiss

February 13, 2011

Las Vegas, Nevada

Sara Sidle-Grissom rolled over in bed and curled against her husband's warm, muscular back.

He grunted in response. "Morning already?" he asked, turning to take his wife in his arms.

"Almost time to get up," she answered, placing gentle kisses under his chin before tucking her head beneath it and sighing at the comfort and safety she found in his embrace.

Gil's hand snuck down to cup the baby growing in her belly. "How is our little one this morning?" he asked, splaying his large hand over her belly button. Sara was seven months pregnant with their first child, a daughter they had decided to name Olivia Kaitelyn.

Sara smiled in the gray light of dawn slanting between the blinds. "Busy," she said. "It's Olivia's fault I'm awake so early to pester you," she smirked.

"Well, since we're both already awake, I can think of a few things we can do to occupy our time." He gently rolled Sara onto her back and delighted her with the most sensuous of kisses.

Sara allowed her arms to slide around his neck, and it was much later when she finally made it to the shower to get ready for work. When she emerged after her hasty shower, she found that her husband had made her a vegetarian omelet and had a cup of her favorite hot tea waiting on the table. A smile turned up the corners of her mouth as she went to him and slipped her arms around his waist. "Thank you, Gil," she murmured against his lips as she gave him a tender kiss.

Grissom led her to the table and pulled out her chair to seat her. Realizing that if she didn't leave soon she would be late, Sara ate quickly and hurried into her coat. Gil picked up her bag and handed it to her. "I'll see you tonight," he told her. Gil had decided he never wanted to go back to the lab. Instead he had been working on several journal articles and was nearly finished with a book he had been intending to write for years. "I'm hoping to get another chapter completed today."

"You will," Sara reassured him. "I know it." She hurried to the door, turning at the last minute to holler back, "I love you!"

"I love you, too, Sara," he answered, sighing in the quietness of the townhouse when she closed the door behind her.

Sara settled behind the wheel of Grissom's Mercedes and tossed her bag onto the passenger seat next to her. She turned on the radio and began to sing mindlessly along with the song that was playing. Turning into traffic, she allowed her mind to drift to the day ahead. No longer allowed to be in the field because of her pregnancy, she was confined to the lab. It would be another long day of paperwork with maybe a bit of evidence to examine.

Sara stopped her car at a red light and tapped her fingernails on the steering wheel in time to the music. She noticed the price of gas at the gas station on the corner and decided that she would stop there on the way home and fill up the tank.

The light turned green and Sara pressed her foot against the gas pedal. In the middle of the intersection, the sound of squealing tires made her tense. Suddenly, there was the sickening crunch of metal on metal and her body was tossed to the right against her seatbelt. The noise seemed endless, but then there was blessed silence. Sara's heart pounded in her ears, and her first sane thoughts were of her baby.

She could hear someone calling to her, asking if she was okay, but it sounded as if it were coming from a distance. Her eyelids felt heavy, weighted down, and she was unable to open them. She wanted to scream for someone to please help her; her baby was in danger, but her body wouldn't cooperate.

A sharp pain shot through her left leg, causing her to moan. The pain got worse until merciful blackness gave her relief.

To Be Continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: CSI doesn't belong to Moochie and Prairie. We just wish it did.

The Arrival: A Valentine's Kiss

Sara couldn't open her eyes. She could hear, and there seemed to be frantic activity around her. There were people yelling to each other and someone seemed to be hovering over her.

"She has a broken leg, broken ribs, probably internal bleeding. And, Christ, she's heavily PREGNANT! Crap, Bob, get us to Desert Palm, NOW! Oh, Lord, her water has broken."

Sara only vaguely understood any of this. But she understood the phrase, "her water has broken." "Oh God, the baby is coming. But it's too early, it's far too early. Oh, Please, Lord, let her be O.K." Sara sank into the darkness that she feared, but also welcomed.

Sara hadn't been able to see the EMT attending to her, but it was Hank, the guy who dated her when he already had a fianceé . Hank didn't know how to contact Grissom. He knew "through the grapevine" that Grissom was now her husband, so he called the LVPD CSI Lab, while his fellow EMT attended to Sara.

Judy answered, listened to Hank's half-hysterical message, and immediately called Catherine Willows. She relayed Hank's message and trusted Cath to do what was necessary.

Catherine called Gil, a call that lasted less than a minute. Gil tore out the door, and started Sara's ancient Jeep. Cath got hold of the rest of the team and told them what was going on. Each and every one chose to take a "sick day," signed out and started racing to Desert Palm Hospital.

Gil got there first. He burst through the front doors of the E.R. He was quite a sight, disheveled, badly dressed, sweating profusely; he looked like an Avenging Angel out of time past. "My wife, Sara Sidle Grissom, where is she? What's her condition? What about the baby?" he screamed.

A young E.R. nurse approached. "Mr. Grissom. I'm Beth Gordon. Your wife was brought in 20 minutes ago. She's stable, but we can't treat all her injuries immediately. They aren't life threatening, and we've dealt with her broken leg, so we're concentrating on the baby right now. Mrs. Grissom's water has broken, because of the accident, but she hasn't gone into contractions. That means we need to deliver the baby through a Caesarian section. This is going to create even more stress on your wife's body, but it must be done. With her water broken, the baby must be delivered. I'll take you up to the O.R. and I hope you'll be able to comfort your wife and help us make this a little bit easier for her."

Gil looked at her, numbly, and nodded his assent. What he wasn't prepared for, was how bad Sara looked.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: And again – Moochie and Prairie don't own CSI. We'd both like to own Grissom, although I think we'd fight over him. Prairie does however own a boxer named Grissom. Does that count?

The Arrival: A Valentine's Kiss

The sight of his wife lying motionless and so pale that she nearly blended in with the sheets stopped Grissom in his tracks. The clothes had been cut away from the lower half of her body and her leg was splinted and wrapped. Her face and arms were scratched and bloody from the broken glass of the driver's side window. His eyes focused on the bump that was Olivia and fear churned in the pit of his stomach.

"Sara," he breathed, forcing himself to move forward. He wanted to hold her hand, but was afraid to touch her because he might cause her pain. She moaned then, and he could no longer stay away.

Stepping closer to the bed, Gil leaned over and placed a gentle kiss against her forehead. "I'm right here, sweetheart. The doctors are going to take good care of you."

Sara moaned again before opening her eyes. She blinked until she was able to focus on Gil and reached for his hand with her trembling one. "Olivia?" she asked as tears formed in her eyes and began to fall.

Gil took her hand in his gently and rubbed his thumb over the back of it. "The nurse told me that your water broke in the accident, so they are going to deliver her now by C-section."

Panic spread over Sara's face. "It's too early," she began to sob. "I don't want her to come now; she's not ready."

Gil stroked his wife's face, being careful not to cause her pain. "Sara, it would be even more dangerous for her to stay in the womb right now. The doctors here are good, and they are ready to care for her. They said I can stay with you for your C-section." He smoothed back her hair and kissed her forehead again.

"I'm sorry," Sara sobbed. "This is all my fault."

Gil's forehead furrowed in confusion. "How is this your fault, Sara?"

"I didn't see the other car," she hiccupped, wincing in pain.

"From what I understand from Catherine, the other driver ran a red light. You did nothing wrong, Sara."

The doctors and nurses continued to move quietly and efficiently around them, getting the OR ready for Sara's surgery. "Mr. and Mrs. Grissom, get ready to meet your daughter," the nurse told them, a smile curving the corners of her lips.

"I'm Doctor Hadley, Mrs. Grissom. I will be delivering your daughter today." He was a slight man with sandy brown hair and blue eyes.

Sara managed a slight nod, her teeth chattering from the effects of the anesthesia. Her brown eyes locked with Grissom's blue ones.

"Mrs. Grissom, can you feel anything right now?" Doctor Hadley asked from the other side of a blue sheet blocking Sara's view of her belly.

"No," Sara whimpered, tears sliding down her face. She was scared for Olivia's life.

Out in the waiting room, Gil and Sara's CSI family gathered anxiously. Nick paced back and forth. "How long has it been?" he asked Catherine impatiently. "Shouldn't we have heard something by now?"

Catherine patted his shoulder. "Come sit down, cowboy," she directed, putting a hand on his shoulder and steering him toward an uncomfortable pink chair next to Greg.

Greg gave Nick a sympathetic look. His own knee was bobbing up and down nervously. "They'll be okay," he said to his friend and coworker, trying to reassure his own self in the process.

Nick nodded and felt better when Catherine sat down on his other side and slipped her hand into his, squeezing tightly. She leaned her strawberry blonde head against his shoulder and settled in for the wait, however long it might be.

Back in the operating room, Grissom focused his attention on his distraught wife, stroking her hair and murmuring soft reassurances into her ear. He kept listening to the doctor's conversation with the nurses, sending prayers to heaven for the safety of his tiny baby girl.

"Here she is!" Doctor Hadley called out.

Grissom looked up to see a red, flailing baby in the doctor's arms. Inexplicably, Gil felt tears filling his blue eyes and spill over down his cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Sara asked in a panic. "Why isn't she crying?"

To Be Continued… Take it Moochie!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: And yeah, if we actually owned Grissom, we would probably kind of fight over him. But he's fiction, a TV character. And we don't own him, LOL! Plus, I have a really cute hubby that I'm not eager to replace. On to Part 4!

The Arrival: A Valentine's Kiss

Part 4

A thin cry pierced the air. It wasn't strong, but the infant it came from started expressing her outrage in louder and louder terms. The delivery doctor started smiling broadly and a flurry of activity began. Olivia was immediately blanketed, given to her Mom and Dad to hold for just a few moments, and then whisked away to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.)

When Sara held her for those few moments, she knew she was in love for the rest of her life. As they took the baby from her to let her father hold her, she lay back onto the bed, murmured, "I love you Olivia," and slipped into unconsciousness.

As Gil held his newborn daughter, he, too, knew he was in love for the rest of life; enthralled and in bondage to the tiny life he'd held for only 30 seconds. He, too, whispered, "I love you, Olivia." As they took her to evaluate her, he turned his attention to Sara. It took him a moment to realize that the entire staff was now utterly involved in Sara's condition.

And it was obvious that Sara's condition was not good. The doctors and nurses were working frantically. Then came those terrible words, "Code Blue, Code Blue in Delivery Room One!"

Gil moved to get closer, but one of the nurses blocked his way. "You have to leave, Dr. Grissom. You can't be here now."

"NO, NO, let me touch her, let me hold her hand." Taking pity on the obviously distraught husband, the nurse allowed him to approach and take Sara's hand. Gil simply kissed it and whispered in Sara's ear, "Fight, Sara, fight. For me, for our daughter. I love you. Don't leave us!" Then Gil was unceremoniously shoved out of the room and told to go the waiting room.

Gil made his way to the waiting room and was shocked to see the entire "Team" waiting for him. They surrounded him and started pummeling him with questions.

It was Cath who finally realized that he was in shock. She took charge, and guided Gil to a seat. "What's going on, Gil?"

Gil gulped, put his hands together, and tried to gather his thoughts. "Olivia seems fine, but Sara is fading. They just called a Code Blue on her."

Cath stared at him, her emotions in a roil. She looked towards Sara's room, saw the full court Blue Code response team in her room. She knew what that meant. She bowed her head and began to pray, but she did not loosen her hold on Gil's hand.

The next chapter is yours, Prairie, go for it!!!!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: They aren't ours. Boo-hoo! The only Grissom I own is a 60 - pound flashy fawn boxer puppy.

The Arrival

Chapter 5

"Mr. Grissom?" A nurse appeared before the shaking husband. "Would you like to walk with your daughter down to the NICU?"

Gil glanced back at Sara's room, trying to decide who needed him more, his wife or his infant daughter.

Catherine took care of that problem for him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke gently. "Go with Olivia, Gil. The rest of us will stay here for Sara. Olivia needs her daddy. You need to go take some pictures for Sara to see when she feels better." She shoved her camera into his hands.

Gil looked down at the camera and blinked before standing and following the nurse. His heart swelled with love at the sight of his tiny daughter, bundled in a pink blanket and wearing a soft pink cap on her tiny head. He walked beside the small bed as the nurse rolled it down the hallway, his eyes never leaving the tiny form inside.

Once reaching the NICU, he watched as his daughter was weighed, measured, and then grinned with delight when they took her footprint and stamped it on his shirt, right over his heart. He couldn't stay focused on Olivia for long, though. His mind went back to Sara; he needed her just like he needed the very air he breathed. Olivia needed her, too. He had no idea how to raise a child by himself. The thought of the years stretching before him seemed dark, cold, and meaningless without Sara by his side.

The kind nurse helped him get some pictures of Olivia and even took one of him bending down by her bed in the NICU. "You can show these to your family," she told him.

Gil nodded and gave his daughter one last loving glance. "Mommy and I love you, Olivia. I need to go check on her now, sweet pea. Then I'll be back." It was tearing out his heart to leave that tiny, helpless little girl alone with the nurses and doctors, but he had to get back to Sara. What if she needed him?

"You can come back and see her again later, Mr. Grissom," the nurse told him. "We'll take good care of her." He nodded and hurried back to where his "family" waited for news on Sara.

"Anything?" he asked, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Nothing yet, Gil," Jim Brass told him gently. "Come and sit down over here." He led Gil to a chair next to Catherine, and Gil sat woodenly, the camera still clutched in his hand.

Catherine smiled at the sight of the footprint on his shirt. "She's so perfect," she enthused, pointing out the tiny print to the rest of the team. Then everyone began reaching for the camera and oohing and awing over baby pictures.

Greg looked over Nick's shoulder and Catherine crowded in on his other side. "She looks a lot like Sara," Catherine told Grissom.

Nick agreed. "She's beautiful; I can't wait to start spoiling her."

"Hey, she's going to love her Uncle Greggo the best," Greg grinned, trying to lighten the worried mood.

Grissom couldn't focus on his friends' conversation. His mind and heart were wrapped around the woman fighting for her life in the room across the hall. He rubbed his hands nervously up and down the fabric of his pants, trying to dry his sweaty palms. His mouth was as dry as cotton, and he felt as if he were choking every time he tried to swallow. A doctor finally emerged from Sara's room and Gil jumped to his feet with a start, dizziness making him close his blue eyes tightly for a moment.

"Mr. Grissom," he stated, walking to stand in front of Gil, his focus only on Sara's husband. "I have news about your wife."

To Be Continued….Tag, you're it, Moochie!

Please review. You'll make our day.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Nah, we don't own CSI, or Grissom (sigh…), but we do have a whole heck of a lot of snow! And more coming!

"The Arrival: A Valentine's Kiss."

Part Six, the Finale

Gil braced himself, trying to stop his arms from trembling. He was trying to find the strength to deal with whatever terrible news the head of the Code Blue team was going to give him. It was all he could do to croak out, "Yes?"

Dr. Dan Tomlinson leaned against the wall. He was exhausted, and he looked it. But, there was a small hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. He didn't often get to deliver good news.

"Well, Dr. Grissom, I won't lie, it was very serious. Mrs. Grissom hemorrhaged very badly immediately after the birth. She went into what's called Hypovolemic Shock, something that happens in only 9 out of a 100,000 births. It caused her blood pressure to plummet into the danger zone. However, we were able to stop the bleeding and with an immediate blood transfusion, she rallied within 15 minutes. Her blood pressure is now normal, but we won't be discharging her tomorrow. We want a full 24 hours observation. That means she and your new baby will have to remain here tomorrow. But, I have no doubt they'll be on their way home with you the next day. Because of her broken leg and ribs, you're going to have to care for the baby. Uh, well, except for breast feeding, that is. I, um, think you're going to have to ask for some vacation time or sick leave. If you have to go back to work after a couple of weeks, I can give you a list of agencies that can provide excellent new baby care-givers."

Gil Grissom was most certainly a lapsed Catholic, but at that moment, he thanked God, Christ, Mary, Joseph, and all the Saints. And then, he simply, fainted and slid off the chair.

Two minutes later (maybe less), he opened his eyes to see Dr. Tomlinson and most of "The Team" hovering around him. Dr. Tomlinson was waving a vial of what was, from it's odor, ammonia, under his nose.

"Quit that!," Gil loudly protested. Dr. Dan grinned and he and Dr. Ray helped Gil stand up. slowly. They helped Gil back into the chair. It took a few minutes, but Gil eventually shook his head, and blurted out, "When can I see her?" Dr Tomlinson understood that he meant Sara, not the baby.

"In about 45 minutes Dr. Grissom. May I suggest you use the time to introduce your new daughter to all your friends? I'll have the nurses bring her incubator to the window in the NICU. As soon as you can see Mrs. Grissom, I'll have someone come get you."

Gil grinned from ear to ear and looked around at everyone. "Anyone want to see Olivia?"

Everyone looked at him like he was nuts and he received a universal chorus of "YES!"

They trooped upstairs and just as Dr. Tomlinson promised, Olivia was in her incubator in front of the window. She looked darling. She was receiving a bit of oxygen through the incubator, but other than that she had no tubes, IVs, or other invasive devices attached.

Everyone chattered about how cute she was, who she looked like, how well she was doing despite being premature.

About 40 minutes later, Nurse Isabel McConnell quietly approached Gil. She whispered in his ear, "Dr. Grissom, you can see your wife now. She's in Room 302. Just slip away, no one will notice."

Gil gave her a grateful look and backed away from the group. And no one did notice. He walked as quickly as he could to the elevator. He paused at the door to Room 302, took a deep but shaky breath, and pushed open the door.

Sara was awake, but a little groggy. But when she saw Gil, she beamed her famous "Sara smile" and struggled to sit up. Her broken leg was in a sling and she couldn't quite get the leverage to sit up.

Gil quickly moved to her side and signed NO. Sara eased back onto her pillow and Gil bent over to kiss her, so gently, so sweetly.

"Olivia?," Sara queried.

"She's perfect Dearest, she's perfect, and everyone says she looks just like you. Her APGAR was 9, which is outstanding for an early baby." All she's getting is little bit of oxygen." Sara sighed with joy and relief.

"Where is she?"

"In the NICU for tonight, but I think they'll bring her down to us tomorrow."

Sara was tired, so incredibly tired. But something was buzzing in her brain, something she was supposed to tell her husband. It flitted around in her consciousness for several moments, and then she remembered. "Oh Gil, it's Valentine's Day! I didn't get you a card!"

Gil Grissom just laughed. "A card, Sara, you're worried because you didn't have time to get me a card? Sara, you gave us a child! The most wonderful gift any man receives from his wife. Maybe we should have named her Valentine." Gill quirked his eyebrows.

And Sara reacted pretty much as he knew she would. She leveled a steely look at her husband, and said, "That would only happen if I get to name any first son of ours the Latin name for a blowfly!"

Gil threw back his head as he laughed. Then he edged onto the bed and stretched out next to Sara.

She snuggled against him and said, "You're lucky I can even think about another baby."

Gil grinned, kissed the top of Sara's head, hugged her close and whispered, "Happy Valentine's Day, Dear."

Sara smiled, yawned, said "Ditto," and slept.

Upstairs, the "Crew" was finally thrown out by NICU Nurse McConnell. Down in the lobby, Greg suggested breakfast at Frank's. Everyone said yes. Cath was the one who realized what day it was. She turned to everyone and said, "Well, this is one Valentine's Day we'll never forget!"

The entire "Crew" cracked up, and then headed to Frank's for runny eggs, lousy bacon, pathetic rolls, crummy coffee; and an infinite amount of friendship, affection, and joy.

The End.


End file.
